How is your electricity generated?

Following is the state-by-state breakdown of major sources of energy production (petroleum, geothermal, biomass and other sources are excluded). Total electricity is measured in thousand megawatthours.

Coal long has been considered the “dirtiest” fuel for electricity production, though generators have made great strides in recent years to lessen its impact on the environment. About 19 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. during October came from coal.

Natural gas burns cleaner, but many environmentalists warn that its use produces methane. Here are the states that get the largest part of their electricity from natural gas.

Hydroelectric power is one of the cleanest energy producers. Washington depends heavily on hydroelectric power – one of the reasons the state consistently has one of the lowest average electricity rates by state.

It likely comes as little surprise that California is among the leading solar producers.

States along tornado alley lead the way when it comes to producing electricity from wind turbines. But some unlikely candidates also are big producers:

Is nuclear power clean or dirty? It depends on your perspective. It produces a far smaller carbon footprint than coal, oil, or natural gas, so in that respect it’s clean. But there’s the problem of what to do with the spent fuel – it’s difficult to overlook that issue.

That said, let’s put nuclear power in its own category.

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 (Last updated Jan. 5, 2021)